This invention relates to explosives, particularly explosive compositions based upon ammonium nitrate.
Traditional general-purpose explosives comprise trinitrotoluene (TNT), which has several disadvantages. It is a Class-A explosive, requiring special mixing and handling procedures and storage facilities, all accordingly increasing the cost of use. The preparation of this explosive is through nitrate substitution of toluene by a mixed acid consisting of concentrated nitric acid and sulphuric acid. The cost of concentrated nitric acid is moderately expensive and the excess nitric acid in the product destabilizes the explosive and presents corrosion problems. Trinitrotoluene is not water soluble and bomb disposal cannot be done economically by steam or hot water.
A binary mixture of ethylenediamine dinitrate (EDDN) and ammonium nitrate (AN) is water soluble, thereby having several advantages over trinitrotoluene such as safer storage as a non-explosive water solution and cheaper disposal. However, the binary mixture has a high melting point, has stability problems, and is expensive.
Recently potassium nitrate has been added to improve the stability of the mixture. The problems associated with the binary mixture remain and the amount of chloride impurities is increased by the additional chloride impurities found in potassium nitrate (KN). If these impurities are not removed, the explosive has serious corrosion problems, and if the impurities are removed the cost of the explosive increases greatly. The present method of making the ternary mixture is to mix solid ethylenediamine dinitrate, ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate. Ethylenediamine dinitrate is not commercially available in large quantities and is expensive. Industrial grade ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate are too impure to be used without the additional expense of purification. Dry mixing three explosives to form an explosive mixture requires special procedures and precautions, causing the cost of the process to increase significantly.
Other explosives compositions based upon ammonium nitrate include AN/fuel oil, AN/TNT/RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitromine), AN/ammonium salt of a nitroazole/RDX, AN/EDDN/DN/NQ (nitroguanidine) and the like.
It is known that ammonium nitrate is a hazardous material to manufacture on an industrial scale, to handle in large amounts, and to store in great masses, especially for relatively long periods of time. It is also known that the shock sensitivity of ammonium nitrate increases seriously after exposure to a few temperature cycles through the 32.3.degree. C. (90.degree. F.) transition point. (Up to 32.3.degree. C. the stable crystal form is orthorhombric bipyramidal; from 32.3.degree. C. to 84.degree. C. the stable crystal form is orthorhombic).
Explosive compositions based upon ammonium nitrate are often hazardous to handle and store, just as is ammonium nitrate alone. What is desired is a desensitizer for explosive compositions based upon ammonium nitrate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for desensitizing explosive compositions based upon ammonium nitrate.
Another object of this invention is to provide a modified composition of ammonium nitrate, ethylene diamine dinitrate and potassium nitrate which is less sensitive to accidental ignition or detonation than the unmodified composition.
Other objects, aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed disclosure of the invention.